A perceptive and intelligent tribute to man’s other best friend.
A nature writer’s transforming encounter with a stray cat, described in a perfectly pitched account that nicely balances sentiment and science.
In his mid-40s, a self-employed bachelor who enjoyed his freedom, Jordan (Divorce Among the Gulls, not reviewed) was a self-confessed dog person. But then a cat entered his life and, as he observes, stole his heart. Called Darwin in homage to the great biologist, the animal imparted lessons not only about cats, but about humans and life itself. As he describes his encounters with Darwin and the fabric of their evolving relationship, Jordan also traces the evolutionary biological changes that differentiate cats from humans, cats’ genetic inheritance (their remarkable geographic sense and spatial awareness), and the difference between wild and domesticated cats. (The latter live in prolonged kittenhood, dependent on others for affection and food.) Jordan first saw Darwin lying near his apartment block’s trashcans and impulsively leaned down to stroke the unkempt orange tabby. In typical cat fashion, he purred and then bit Jordan’s hand. Instead of being angry, the bemused author found himself buying cat food and feeding Darwin, who quickly persuaded Jordan to let him come indoors. Soon, the author ruefully admits, he was in a relationship with a cat: talking to Darwin, using endearments, missing him when away. A checkup at the vet revealed that the cat had feline leukemia and the prognosis was uncertain. In the year that followed, Jordan battled to save Darwin, and though the fight was ultimately lost, he was surprised by “an unexpected sense of self-worth” gained by taking care of his pet. Grieving, he lists the things he learned from Darwin: respect and love of life; the value of loyalty and commitment; the fact that the human mind is “is meant to embrace others.”
A perceptive and intelligent tribute to man’s other best friend.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2002
ISBN: 0-395-98642-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2002
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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